The Jonstown Library (2010)

Submitted by Claudia on Fri, 10/09/2010 – 17:31 

It took me more than two weeks to write something again – we were very busy: an other archery tournament (it was a fun tournament – however, I did not very well this time – but I shot for the first time three arrows from a horse – OK it was slow walking and the targets were very close – but it was cool!), we had to put our 16 year old cat (a long-time incarnation of Yinkin known to a surprising number of Gloranthan luminaries) to sleep because of kidney failure and I had a birthday – what better way is there to celebrate than with a cool roleplaying game? Enough excuses why I took me so long here now chitchatting and news  – breakfast and games.

Last time we already had peeks into the Lhankor My cult (OK – it was my interpretation manifested in my Lhankor My character). A little while ago I wrote something about imaginary books. Now I would like to introduce you to the big Lhankor Mhy library called the Jonstown Library (btw no – Lhankor Mhy is not my favorite cult! It’s all pure coincidence!). The picture is super cool and I can tell you a bit about the story behind it.

Nearly exactly a year ago Jeff, our son Finn (not even two month old) and I, we toured for a week through northern Germany. Our goal was the battleground of the Varus Battle in Kalkriese (that’s where the Germans under Arminius destroyed several Roman legions under Varus). It at that time exactly 2000 years ago (now 2001 years) when the battle happened and naturally they had a great big exhibition on the battle there. However – on that trip we also visited other villages on the way (like Goslar and Hameln). Our first night we decided to spend spontaneously in Wolfenbüttel. Most of the next day we spend in the Herzog-August library – one of the biggest collection of mediaeval books (and it’s still a library means which means that with the right forms and papers you are allowed to read the books! Jeff keeps threatening to get permission to use the library which would mean another vacation around Wolfenbüttel). They not only have thousands of old books there – also maps, globes and “library equipment” like this cool wheel to read books.

You will find this wheel in the tower of the Jonstown Library in the middle – it looks a bit like a watermill wheel but it actually contains books. To finish the bit about our trip to the Herzog-August library – Jeff was fascinated, Finn slept (he was not even 2 month old and I carried him in one of these baby blankets wrapped around me) and I was tired from carrying Finn. However – this library somehow burned into Jeff’s mind and he told me the rest of the trip and afterwards that he has to use it somehow in one of his books. A good month ago he had and idea, made a sketch and asked Gill Pearce to transfer his idea into a picture for Sartar Companion (btw – one of the last things which needed to be done. Rick is doing layout and maybe I can squeeze a few pages out of him for the next blog as an “appetizer” – he hopes to be done with layout in two weeks and than it’s up to the printer, your order and the post how fast you can lay hands on your copy! Yes – a bit of advertisement is OK and Finn needs new packages of diapers! 😉 And I never promised to be neutral – he he).

However I saw Jeff’s sketch and now I see what Gill made out of it and it is so cool! We all know that Lhankor Mhy libraries are shaped into a “Y”-Rune – now we see what that means. And he sent Gill pictures about the book wheel and so on. I love the way she let us peek into the library itself and all the other rooms (dormitory on the far wing, workplaces and kitchen in the left wing, the heart of the library in the middle tower, entrance on the first level of the right wing, more books on the second level and the books of power on the third level (Jeff told me that as a “mere” initiate my precious character Jorjar is not allowed there – grmpf) of this wing including a little shrine for the god on the far right side. Isn’t this cool? I love the details – so many things to discover! And I can imagine my character working there (and I’m pretty sure he will find a way to get into the third level!). I already told you about the status of the Sartar Companion. Jeff is very busy working on the Pavis book.

Our gaming group is now playtesting some of Jeff’s new scenarios – in the moment it feels a bit like a movie from Quentin Tarantino (a very good thing!). Yes, we killed a bunch of Lunars and then realized we had a huge problem so yes we decided to throw them into the sewers (there was no available pigfarm). We will see what happens next….

Claudia 

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